Alex Albon will remain with Williams in Formula One after committing his future to the team with a new contract running to at least the end of 2026.
Williams announced on Wednesday that Albon, 28, had signed a multi-year contract extension ahead of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. His previous deal was due to expire at the end of the 2025 season.
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While the team did not disclose the length of the new contract, it described the deal as a “multi-year contract extension which takes the partnership into the new era of Formula One regulations” that will start in 2026.
Albon was expected to be a key player in the F1 driver market for the coming years after starring with his displays for Williams, lifting the team off the back of the grid last season. He scored 27 of the team’s 28 points last year, helping Williams record its best championship finish in six years.
His performances had attracted interest from multiple front-running teams, including Red Bull, where Albon raced through 2019 and 2020 before assuming the role as a reserve driver in 2021, while he has also been linked to Ferrari and Mercedes in recent years.
But Albon has now put an end to speculation about his future by signing a new contract with Williams.
“I am incredibly happy to be remaining with Williams Racing and to continue working with such a talented and dedicated team of people,” Albon said in a statement.
“It has been a difficult start to the year but since joining Williams we have made significant progress together and I have seen the huge changes happening behind the scenes to take us back to the front of the grid.
“This is a long-term project that I really believe in and want to play a key role in which is why I have signed a multi-year contract. The journey will take time but I am confident we are building the right team to move forward and achieve great things in the years to come.”
Williams F1 boss James Vowles has been overseeing a rebuild of the team since taking charge at the start of the 2023 season, following years of underinvestment that left it lagging behind its rivals. Dorilton Capital, an American investment fund, acquired Williams in 2021 and has been funding a number of infrastructure updates at the team’s factory to help make up the gap.
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The team has endured a rough start to this season, failing to score any points in the opening six races, but Albon has been leading its efforts on-track with two 11th-place finishes so far.
Vowles always saw Albon as a key part of Williams’ long-term future, and said this fresh contract was a “big piece of the puzzle of moving us up the grid”.
“We are delighted to secure Alex’s long-term future with Williams Racing,” Vowles said. “He has exceptional talent, technical input and dedication to the cause and this is a huge vote of confidence in Williams and the journey back to competitiveness that we are on.”
Who will race alongside Albon in 2025?
Williams is yet to decide who will partner Albon in 2025 and beyond. His current team-mate, Logan Sargeant, has struggled for form so far this year, while Vowles is known to be a big fan of the 17-year-old Mercedes junior driver, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who currently races in Formula Two.
It emerged in Miami that a request had been submitted for Antonelli to get dispensation for an FIA super license required to take part in an F1 weekend despite being under the minimum age of 18, leading to suggestions he could be in line to replace Sargeant mid-season.
Vowles quickly clarified there were no plans for Antonelli to replace Sargeant for this weekend’s race at Imola, but did say Williams was evaluating drivers who could race for the team in both 2025 and 2026.
“What we really want is the right driver pairing for those two years, as when you go through regulation changes, you don’t want to be changing drivers,” Vowles said on F1 TV in Miami. “You’re looking for the right pairing for that period of time.”
GO DEEPER
James Vowles knew change would break Williams — and set it up for the future
(Alessio Morgese/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
